By Subhana Shiwmangal
The family of Claurine Prescod-Stoll, the 24-year-old woman whose husband allegedly stabbed her in the presence of their young son, yesterday said she had separated from the man two weeks before the assault because of his abusive behaviour.
They said they are traumatized over the incident which was caught on camera and circulated on social media.
Prescod-Stoll was stabbed twenty-four times about her body allegedly by her husband, 26-year-old Navin Stoll, a truck driver who is expected to be charged shortly.
The young sales representative of Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke-Linden Highway remains hospitalised in a serious but stable condition following the December 4th incident.
The mother of one was stabbed about her body, including her back, both arms, side and stomach.
Speaking with Stabroek News yesterday, Barbara Gomes, the mother of Prescod-Stoll said that this is the fourth time her daughter was abused at the hands of her husband. She recounted that the first two times her daughter had reported her husband to the police but begged for him to be released. The third occasion saw the woman sustaining scratches to her skin and while a police report was not made Gomes said she warned her son-in-law.
The mother related that the two-year rocky marriage took a turn about two weeks ago when her daughter ran away from home and decided to rent a place in Kuru Kururu because of her son-in-law’s continued abusive behaviour.
“Two weeks ago her husband hit her down with his truck and left home to drop off a load of sand. He returned home the same day with the same rage and broke his son’s tablets and she ran away from home,” the woman said.
She further revealed that Navin Stoll hit her daughter with his truck when she told him she couldn’t work with him since she had lots of chores to do that day and she left to go about her business.
She chronicled that she spoke to her daughter who revealed that she couldn’t reunite with her husband because of the constant abuse and she would be going to rent somewhere, and she did. She managed to find a place in Kuru Kururu and was preparing it to move in, the mother said. Meanwhile, the day of incident which was her birthday and anniversary, her daughter received a call from her husband informing her to meet at the, ‘Jamoon tree’ the following day to collect their son, whom the woman was longing to see. He also promised to give her a gift.
The following day, as promised, the mother said her daughter showed up in a taxi and asked the driver to wait while she collected her son. According to the mother, her daughter related to her that when she met her husband, he gave her the child and told her to wait as he had a gift to give her. He walked to his car and according to her daughter, it appeared as if was taking out something from the car but instead he put his hands in his pocket and pulled out a sharp weapon looking like scissors. He came up to her daughter and threw her on the ground and allegedly stabbed her about her arms and belly. The child screamed and Navin Stoll got into his car and attempted to drive away but he saw the woman lift her head to attend to the child. He turned around his car, got out, allegedly stabbed her in the back, grabbed the child and drove off.
Prescod-Stoll’s sister-in-law was passing at the same time and saw the woman on the ground surrounded by a large crowd. She placed the woman in the car she was travelling in and headed to the hospital. When they were about to turn the Soesdyke junction, they saw a police officer known to them and he escorted them to the Diamond Hospital.
The mother said that her daughter is still recovering but is out of danger for now. Gomes said that this incident left the entire family traumatized and stressed, and most of all her grandson. She said the man was supposed to have been charged already but she was unsure about the cause of the delay and is waiting to speak with the officer in charge of the case to be informed of the court date.
On December 6, between 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., investigators conducted a video and audio interview with the suspect, according to a release from the police. During the session, Navin Stoll exercised his right to remain silent when the allegations were put to him.
Prescod-Stoll recounted the attack to the police and detailed the injuries she sustained. Police confirmed that she suffered multiple stab wounds.
The incident gathered mass attention and questions from netizens after it was caught on camera and posted to the various social media platforms. It showed Prescod-Stoll being dealt multiple stabs as she lay helplessly at the side of the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.